Photo by Davida Franklin from The Crimson White

By Austin Rader

The 16th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks welcomed the unranked Alabama to Fayetteville for a Sunday night matchup. It was the regular season finale for both teams. Arkansas came out hot making their first five baskets from beyond the arc. They made 8 three-pointers in the first quarter alone.

The Razorbacks followed that up with 6 more three’s in the 2nd period. They were looking like the Alabama men’s team with the way they shot the ball. The Razorbacks went into halftime with 14 three pointers made and a comfortable 13 point lead.

But the Crimson Tide wouldn’t go away. With 6:20 remaining in the 3rd quarter, Jordan Lewis made a three off a Hannah Barber assist to cut the Arkansas lead to just three. Jordan Lewis shot the ball well for Alabama, going 3-5 from deep, and had 15 points. Alabama outscored Arkansas in the 3rd quarter 19-16.

After a Hannah Barber layup to cut the lead to four with just under 8:00 to play in the game, the Razorbacks went back to doing what they did best, which was shooting the ball efficiently. Amber Ramirez scored 12 points in the final frame to put the game away. Ramirez had a career night, finishing with a career high 35 points. She shot an efficient 12-19 from the field making 8 of Arkansas’ 19 threes. The Razorbacks 19 three pointers set an SEC record.

Arkansas went on to win on Senior night 94-76. 

“We tried to make a couple of adjustments, but it seemed like whatever we did or didn’t do, they shot the ball well today,” Alabama coach Kristy Curry said.

On the bright side for Alabama, they did dominate the boards. Ariyah Copeland had 13 rebounds in her ninth double-double of the season. She also led the team with 18 points scored..

Up Next

With the loss on Sunday night, Alabama (15-8, 8-8) will be the 7 seed in the SEC Tournament and will face Missouri on Thursday.

And for Arkansas (19-7, 9-6) who like the men’s team, is riding a big SEC winning streak (5 games). They will be put to the test when they face Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC tournament on Thursday night. Arkansas is the 6 seed. 

The SEC tournament will be in Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.